CICan recognizes excellence and leadership at Canadian colleges and institutes

CICan recognizes excellence and leadership at Canadian colleges and institutes

Victoria, April 30, 2018 –Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is proud to announce the recipients of its 2018 Awards of Excellence which were recognized during the association’s annual conference in Victoria, BC.

The CICan Awards of Excellence recognize best practices from institutions across the country, as well as individual leadership and achievements. The awards were distributed in partnership with TD Insurance, the exclusive sponsor of CICan’s Awards of Excellence.

“It is because of dedicated people working hard every day, to improve educational programs and campus life, that colleges and institutes are able to offer such remarkable student-experiences and training opportunities”, says Denise Amyot, President and CEO of CICan. “We are thrilled to honour these leaders and innovators who make the entire system stronger, more inclusive, and more responsive to the needs of students as well as employers.”

Here are this year’s winners in all eight categories.

Indigenous Education Excellence

Gold: Camosun College
Camosun College has a long history of commitment to and engagement with Indigenous education. By investing in people, knowledge and resources, Camosun has developed into an Indigenized space where Indigenous students see themselves and their communities reflected in their studies.The college now offers close to 60 courses that integrate Indigenous content into the curriculum, as well as a number of certificate and diploma programs that are customized for Indigenous students in health care, human services, business and trades. The college now welcomes more than 1,100 Indigenous students of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Native American ancestry, a thousand-fold increase since the 1990s.

Silver: Confederation College

Bronze: Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Program Excellence

Gold: Police Cadet Training certificate program, Lethbridge College School of Justice Studies
Lethbridge College’s School of Justice Studies has created a new, competency-based education model to provide training in both the hard and soft skills and knowledge that are essential to police work. This is the first time any public college in Canada has created such a police cadet training program, and the successful completion of the first cohort in 2017 shows it is an excellent model that is portable, meaningful and sustainable. While Lethbridge College, in collaboration with its partner police agencies, had already been offering a well-respected and high-quality recruit training credential, this new program was designed to respond to industry needs in new ways that benefit students, police officers, agencies and the communities they serve.

Silver: Bachelor of Emergency and Security Management Studies, Justice Institute of British Columbia

Bronze: Meat Processing Program, Olds College

Applied Research and Innovation Excellence

Gold: Red River College
Red River College celebrated a marquee year of expansion in 2017 after having attracted over $200 million in infrastructure funding going toward 111,000-square feet in new facilities. This will help the college build on years of growth and success in applied research. Red River College has engaged in 543 applied partnerships with SMEs, large companies, and community organizations between 2012 and 2017, resulting in nearly 543 new or improved products, processes, services, and insights. These initiatives are coordinated through the College’s Research Partnership & Innovation (RPI) office, which generated more research revenue than any college in Western Canada in 2017.

Silver: Niagara College

Bronze: Lambton College

Internationalization Excellence

Gold: Bow Valley College
Bow Valley College is an internationally connected institution with students that come from 142 countries and speak 128 languages. Furthermore, Bow Valley’s staff and faculty collectively speak over 80 languages. The integration of international learners at the college takes many forms and is lead in large part by Bow Valley College’s Centre for Excellence in Immigrant and Intercultural Advancement, which offers courses on Introduction to Intercultural Competency. The college also offers free workshops provided by its Intercultural Centre.

Silver: Nova Scotia Community College

Bronze: Collège LaSalle

Leadership Excellence for Students

Gold: Naqi Hyder, Durham College
Naqi Hyder is a second-year Paralegal student at Durham College and is the Officer and Transitional Manager with Durham College Students Inc. (DCSI). Since high school, he has been community focused, and after coming to Durham, he has put his efforts towards helping students get the best college experience possible. As the joint association for both Durham College and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) students was being dissolved, and a new student governing body was being created, Naqi saw an opportunity. He was chosen to be part of the team of three that was tasked to develop the new student government to represent college students. The result is the DCSI, a service-based association that puts students’ needs at the forefront, and provides quality campus engagement for every student.

Silver: Avery Konda, Georgian College

Bronze: Gagandeep Singh Sidhu, Seneca College

Leadership Excellence for Faculty

Gold: Dr. Holly Catalfamo, Niagara College
Specializing in Human Resources, Dr. Holly Catalfamo is a committed educator whose dedication to her craft and to the success of her students is both infectious and inspiring. She is a leader in experiential learning and course-based applied research, developing curriculum and learning activities that immerse students in real-world applications of concepts and theory and integrate students into a network of working professionals. Dr. Catalfamo also established the Niagara Research Community of Practice in 2011, wherein faculty members gathered on a monthly basis to discuss projects, share strategies and resources for guiding and supporting students, and comment on emerging scholarship about experiential learning.

Silver: Amit Maraj, Durham College

Bronze: Duane Bender, Mohawk College

Leadership Excellence for Staff, Non-Managerial

Gold: Sarah Apedaile, NorQuest College
Sarah Apedaille has been working at NorQuest College since 2002, and quickly moved into intercultural communication project work, which eventually led to a role in the creation of the Centre for Intercultural Education. She now works as an Intercultural Specialist and Faculty Development Advisor with College Learning Teaching and Development. Sarah was also the first qualified Intercultural Development Inventory (ID) administrator at the college, and recently became the college lead for delivering the IDI to individuals and groups, in order to measure intercultural development at NorQuest and help individuals undertake professional development toward specific and measurable intercultural development goals.

Gold: Josie Van Lent, Lakeland College
Increased enrolment, outstanding connections with industry, and expansion of the student-managed concept into more programs are a few of the many ways Josie Van Lent has contributed to the success of Lakeland College. When Josie became dean of Agricultural Sciences in 2007, there were 180 students enrolled in agriculture programs. Today the School of Agricultural Sciences has 478 students. The school has a high-performing culture and, with the support of industry, employees are continually exploring new opportunities to improve programming and facilities for the betterment of students.

Silver: Shawn Chorney, Canadore College

Bronze: Shelagh Rowles, Yukon College

About Colleges and Institutes Canada:
Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is the voice of Canada’s publicly-supported colleges, institutes, cegeps and polytechnics, and an international leader in education for employment with ongoing programs in over 25 countries. CICan’s members add over $190B to Canada’s economy each year and contribute to inclusive economic growth by working with industry and community partners to offer more than 10,000 programs to learners in urban, rural, remote, and northern communities.